Mechanical toy



Nov. 3,1925. 1 L. MARX uacmmcan TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm June 17, 1925 1 INVENTOR Low; Marx L. MARX MECHANICAL TOY Nov. 3, 1925.

Filed June; 17, 1925 2 Sh eets-Sheet 2 mvmon Lows Marx ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,560,181 PATENT OFFICE,

LOUIS MARX, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Application filed June 17, 1925.

[0 all whom it may concern: Be it known that 1, Lotus MARX, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Toys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a toy, and more particularly to an improved mechanically operated toy.

The principal object of my present 1nvention comprehends the provision of an improved mechanically operated toy of the type inv which a track means is provided on which a carriage, car or similar vehicle is adapted to travel gravitationally from an elevated start position to a lower stop position, and in which mechanical means coordinated with the travel path of the carriage is provided for raising or elevating the carriage or car from the lower stop position to the elevated start position so that a cyclic operation of the toy and travel of the carriage is obtained.

More specific prime objects of the present invention includes the provision of an improved track means embodying a loop track section for providing a loop orbit or path for the car or, carriage, and the further provision of a track means or guideway for the carriage which is coordained with a means operable cyclically for elevating the carriage from its lower stop position to its upper start position, so that a plurality of carriages may be run successively on the track means with each cycle of operation of the elevating means utilized for raising a carriage from its stop position to its start position. 7

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as hereinafter appear. my invention consists. in the elements and their relation one to the other as here- ;inafter particularly described and sought to be defined in the following claims; reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show the preferred embodiments of my invention, and which:

Fig.1 is a "perspective view of the mechanical toy embodying my invention, and

Fig. :2 is a perspective view showing a modification thereof. i

Referring now more in detail to the drawings and having reference first to Fig. 1 thereof, the improved mechanically operated toyof my invention comprises a track or MECHANICAL TOY.

Serial No. 37,683.

euidewa 1 means a'enerall desi 'nated as A I i e Z:

on which top carriage or car such as 10 or 11 ,is adapted to travel gravitationally from anelevated start position 12 to a lower stop position 13, which track means co operates with an elevating means generally designated as B and functioning for raising or elevating a car or carriage from the lower stop position 13 to the upper start position 12, the said elevating means being operated by a motor mechanism generally designated as C.

The track means A comprises an elevated or raised forward running track section a and a lower return track section (0 communicating with the elevated track section,

one of said sections embodying a loop section or track a providing a loop path for part of the travel of a carriage; and in the preferred constructionthe loop track section is provided in the forward running or elevated track a. The track sections a and a are preferably made of sheet material contoured to effectively guide the carriage 10 or 11 in its travel from. the start to the stop position. To this end the track section a may be grooved as at 14, 14; and may be provided with the upstanding); edge flanges 15, 15, the lower track section a being similarly provided with the edge flanges 16, 16. The end of the track section a which comn' nicates with the track section (a is preferably flared as at 17, so that the same may effectively receive a carioe e projected thereto from the track sec= tion a. after the carriage has rounded the loop track section (0 The forward end of the track section 0; is provided with a suitable stop means such as the crosspiece 18 fixed to the opposite edge flanges 16, 16 of the traclr section.

The track sections may be supported in any approved fashion, and in the embodiment shown in the drawings 1 provide. a base member 19 preferably made of sheet material supporting at one end an inverted U-shapedmember 20, and at the otherend second. inverted Ushapedmember 21, the former fixedly carrying the track section a and the latter suitably supporting one end ber 20, the parts being designed and arrangedto give appropriate, angularity to the track sections,

' and for engaging rooved orV-shaped l D elements 31 and 32 formed in a centrally arranged member 33 in each car 10 or 11, the construction being such that when the elevating frame 23 is rotatechthe same will engage a car or carriage such as 11 for ele- 'vating the same from the lower track section a, and deposit the same on the upper track section a, aswill be obvious. The elevating frame 23 may also be provided with rearwardly extending arms such as 34 car: rying a counterweight 35 for counterbah ancing the weight of the car or carriage 1-1.

The motor mechanism C may be any toy mechanical motor such as a spring motor carried by a motor casing 36 fixed to one of the upright members such as 25, the motor comprising a helical spring 37 wound by means of the key 38 and operating a tram of gears generally designated as 39 having a driven shaft 40 which is preferably made integral with the shaft 24 of the elevating means B for cyclically rotating the elevating means when the spring motor is wound. F or strengthening the construction, suitable bracing means may be provided, such as the connecting strip 41 connecting the loop track section a to the flared end 17 of the track section a, and the brace rods 42, 42 connecting the uprights 2-5 and 26 with the loop track section a a transverse member 43 being provided connecting the brace rods 42 and arranged to support one end of the track section a.

As heretofore mentioned, a desideratum of the present invention comprehends the provision of a mechanical toy of the charac ter described in which the length of travel path of a carriage is coordinated with the cyclic operation of the elevating means, so that a pair of carriages may be run successively on-the track means and each cycle of revolution of the elevating means utilized for raising the-carriage from its stop position to itsstart position. To this end the length of the track means A is predeter I mined and coordinated with thecvclic operation of the elevating means, so that a cycle of travel of a carriage say from its stop po.

riages such as '10 and ll maybe employed, and each cycle of revolution of the elevating means utilized for raising a carriage, the carriages operating without interference and in successive fashion. 5

Referring now to Fig. 2 of the drawings, I show a modification of the invention in which the elevated and lower track sections are made continuous, the other parts and the relative arrangement thereof being generally similar to that shown in Fig. l of the drawings, and which parts are denoted by similar reference characters.

In this modification, Fig. 2, the loop track section a is provided in the upper elevated track section (t and the same is made con- .tinuous with the adjacent end of the return ,ordinated with the cyclic operation of the elevating means B to permit a plurality of carriages or cars 10 and 11 to be operated successively with each cycle of operation of the elevating means utilized for raising a carriage from its stop to its start position. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the upright members '25 and 26 may be braced by means of the integral arch-shaped section 44 and the elevated track section a may be braced and supported. by the standard 45 fixed to the base 19 and to the bracing rod 46.

The manner of constructing, usingand operating the improved mechanical toy of my invention will in the main be fully apparent fromthe above detailed description of the construction and operation thereof. It will be further apparent that while my invention has been shown and described in its preferred forms many changes and modifn cat-ions may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the" following claims.

I claim: I

1. A mechanical toy comprising track means on which a carriage is adapted to travel gravitationally from an elevated start position to a lower stop position,'the said track means including a loop section providing a loop path for part of the travel of the carriage,.and a rotary elevating means operative for engaging the carriage when the same is-at the lower stop position, for elevating the same and depositing the same on the track means at the elevated start position, and a motor mechanism for operating the elevating means. I V V 2. A me chanical toy comprising track means in which a. carriage is adapted to "l ii ill travel gravitationally from an elevated start position to a lower stop position, the said track means including an elevated forwardrunning track, a lower return track, the said elevated track including a loop track section providing a loop path for part of the travel of the carriage, and a pair of rotary arms operative for engaging the carriage when the same is at the lower stop position, for elevating and depositing the same on the track means at the elevated start position, and a motor mechanism for rotating the rotary arms.

3. A mechanical toy comprising track means on which a plurality of carriages are adapted to travel gravitationally from an elevated start position to a lower stop position, the saidtrack means including a loop section providing a loop path for part of the travel of the carriages, a rotary elevating means operable cyclically for engaging the carriage when the same is at the lower stop position, for elevating the carriage and depositing the same on the track means at the elevated start position, and motor mecha nism for operating the elevating means, the length of travel path of the track means being predeterminedly related to the cyclic period of operation of the elevating means, so that a plurality of carriages may be operated in succession.

4. A mechanical toy comprising track means on which carriages are adapted to travel gravitationally from an elevated start position to a lower stop position, the said track means including a loop section pro viding a loop path for part of the travel of a carriage, rotatable means for elevating the carriage from the lower stop position on the track means to the elevated start posi tion, and motor mechanism for operating the elevating means, the length of travel path of the track means being predetermined so that the time of travel of a carriage from its start to its next start position is greater than one period of revolution of the elevating means, but less than two periods of revolution thereof, whereby a pair of carriages may be'run successively and each cycle of revolution of the elevating means utilized for raising a carriage from its stop position to its start position.

5. A mechanical toy comprising track means on which carriages are adapted to travel gravitationally from anelevated start position to a lower stop position, the said track means including an elevated forwardrunning track, a lower return track, the said elevated track including a loop track section providing a loop path for part of the travel of a carriage, a rotatable elevating means for engaging the carriage on the lower track and for depositing the same on the elevated track, and a motor mechanism for operating the rotatable elevating means, the length of travel path of the track meansbeing predetermined so that the time of travel of a carriage through a complete cycle is greater than one period of revolution of the elevating means, but less than two periods of'revolution thereof, whereby a pair of carriages may be run successively and each cycle of revolution of the elevating means utilized for raising a carriage from the lower track to the elevated track.

6. A mechanical toy comprising a base member, track means carried by said base member, the said track means including an elevated forward track section and a lower return section on which a carriage is adapted to travel gravitationally from an elevated start position to a lower stop position, one of said track sections embodying a. loop track section providing a loop path for part of the travel of the carriage, a pair of upright members carried by said base member adja cent the start and stop positions of the tracks, a rotatable elevating means journallecl in said upright members and operative for engaging the carriage in the stop position of the lower track and for depositing the same at the start position on the elevated track, and a spring motor carried by one of said upright members connected to operate said elevating means. V

Signed at New York city in the count of New York and State of New York this th day of June, A. D. 1925.

LOUIS MARX. 

